Current-motor



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. MQOARTY.

CURRENT MOTOR.

Patented uly 17, 1888.

INVENTOR: 7%71F6 WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

PETERS, Wham-Litho ra her, Walhingion, 5.0.

I" E (No Modem 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

M. MOGARTY.

CURRENT MOTOR.

Patente July 17, 1888. 12 6. Z

S ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES MICHAEL MOCARTY, OF MONTROSE, COLORADO.

CURRENT-MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 386,255, dated July 17,1888.

Application filed January 16, 1898. Serial No. 260,862. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MIoHAEL DICCARTY, of Montrose, in the county ofMontrose and State of Colorado, have invented a new and ImprovedCurrent-lllotor, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, andefficient motor adapted for operation by a running stream for drivingmachinery on shore and connected to the motor by a belt. The motor isadapted to take ad vantage of high or low water, and is also adapted tothe varying forces of inshore and offshore currents to regulate thespeed of the machinery driven by it, and is also arranged to work withvery little friction and consequent economy of power.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction andcombinations of parts of the current-motor, all as hereinafter describedand claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved ourrent-motor as seen from theupstream side. Fig. 2 is a view of the motor, taken at right angles toFig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional elevation of thecurrentwvheel of the motor. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the wheel,taken on the line a: :20, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentarylongitudinal section of the wheel at one of its ball-' bearings, andFig. 6 is a detail face view at one of the ball-bearings.

The current-wheel A, which I will hereinafter particularly describe, issuspended by straps a a and chains 1) b from a frame-work, B, of timber,which is supported in any suitable manner on the bank Cofarunningstream, D, and so as to project transversely over and across or partlyacross the stream. The wheelsuspending chainsb b are connected to ashaft, E, which is journaled on the frame B and ranges about parallelwith the direction of flow of the water, and a hand-wheel, E, on theshaft E allows the chains to be conveniently wound upon or paid out fromthe shaft to suspend the current-wheel at any required height to assurethe best effect of the flowing water on the wheel when the water iseither high or low. A ratchet, e, on the shaft E may be engaged by apawl, e, on the frame B to hold the current-wheel at any desiredvertical adjustment.

To that side of the case of the current-wheel next the bank 0 are fixeda couple of eyes or bolts, f, to which are connected one of the ends ofropes (or it may be chains) F F, the other ends of which are attached toa shaft, G, which is journaled on the frame 13 and about parallel withthe outer shaft, E. The shaft G carries a ratchet, 1, which is engagedby a pawl, g, on the frame 13. It is obvious that by winding the ropesor chains F onto the shaft G by turning its hand-wheel G thecurrent-wheel A, while suspended by the chains 1), may be drawn towardthe river-bank in the arc of a circle of larger or smaller radius,depending on the greater or less distance the wheel hangs from the frame13. These features of construction allow the current-wheel to be hung ata greatcror less depth vertically in the water, and at the same timepermit it to be set farther from or closer to the bank of the stream andat varying depths the nearer it approaches the bank O to utilize to thebest advantage the more swiftly-ruiming currents a little offshore, andalso the more slowly-running currents closer to the bank, for regulatingthe speed of the wheel, as circumstances attending the use of the motormaysuggest or require. The wheel-supporting frame Bconsists, preferably,of two parallel long timbers connected by shorter cross-timbers, and maybe of any desired length.

A rope or chain, H, connected at one end to the upstream end of thecurrent-wheel, is fastened in any suitable manner at a point fartherupstream and serves to hold the wheel steady and level in the wateragainst the force of the current which operates the wheel.

I particularly describe the current-wheel proper as follows: It consistsof a central shaft, I, to which are fixed a number oflongitudinally-ranging concave convex helical blades, J,which rotatewith the shaft in a cylindrical casing, K, which is shown made of woodenstaves encircled by metal bands L M, fixed, respectively, to theupstream and downstream ends of the casing. The casing may be made ofmetal,if preferred. To one end of the shaft I is fixed a skeleton wheelor head, N, which rotates within the casi ng-band L and is grooved allaround at n at the inner edge of its rim,

between which and the thrust-shoulder Z of t-heband L, which isannularly grooved at Z opposite the groove n of the head N, is placedloosely a ring, 0, which is apertured at 0 at a number of places-sayfour-to receive loosely a like number of anti-frictionballs or rollers,P,which rotate in the opposing grooves Z n of the band and head L N. Thewheel-head N may thus freely rotate on the ball-bearings P, and thesebearings may rotate freely on the shoulder Z of the strap L, and theentire ring 0 and the ball-bearings P are free to rotate between thehead N and the shoulder Z of the band L, to distribute the wear of theball-bearings all around the grooved surface ofthe band, which givesdurability to the upstream bearing of the wheel I, which thus easilytakes the thrust or pressure of the swiftest current and operates withminimum friction and loss of power. At its downstream end the wheelshaft I has fixed to it a skeleton driving-wheel, R, which rotateswithin the shouldered or rabbeted outer end of the band M, which isprovided with a series of anti-friction rollers, S, against which therim of the driving-wheel It bears and rotates clear of the band and withvery little friction. The wheel It is provided with peripheral teeth1*,which are engaged by the links of a drivingchain, 'l, which passes toand over a chain-wheel, U, fixed to a shaft,

V, journaled on the wheel supporting frame B and carrying a wheel orpulley, W, from which a driving-belt, X, will lead toa pulley on ashaft, (not shown,) and arranged to operate machinery ofany kind on theshore or bank of'the stream, or at a distance therefrom.

The upstream end of the current-wheel is preferably provided with aflaring mouthpiece, Y,which may beheld to the wheel-casiug K or its handL in any suitable manner, so as to conduct or guide the flowing waterinto the casing to drive the wheel I J. I show the mouth-piece held tothe wheel casing and band Isl L by bolted metal straps y. When the wheelis to be used in a swiftly-running current, this flaringmouth-piecc,which gathers the water to the wheel-casing, maybe'dispensed with, as the water then flowing directly into the wheelcasing through the skeleton head N will have ample pressure to operatethe wheel effectively.

-..-The anchoring-rope H is shown attached to the outer edge of themouthpiece Y; but it may be extended through the mouth-piece and beattached to the wheel-casing K or its rim L, and when the mouthpiece isnot used the rope will be attached directly to the wheelcasing.

When the en rrentwheel is raised or lowered, as high or low water mayrequire, some of the links of the driving-belt '1 may readily be removedor replaced to adjust the belt to give proper driving-connection betweenthe wheels R U of the motor.

It is obvious that a curreutwheel formed with a spirally-bladed shaftfitted in a casing through which the water passes to rotate the wheel isa simple and powerful form of motor, not so liable to injury as endlessbelts of floats moved by the current to impart motion to machinery.Furthermore, all motors of this general character which are supported onfloating structures are more or less subject to damage by the rollingand pitching of the floats, and the shafting, or gearing operated bysuch motors is particularly liable to injury; hence the advantages of myspirally-bladed and incased wheel suspended in the Water from a framefixed to the bank or shore and arranged for'vertical and lateraladjustment, as above described, are apparent. Furthermore, the

motor has great durability, and the conveniences atfo rded for adjustingthe current-wheel both vertically and laterally are not attained in anyconstruction ofcurrent-motor of which I am aware, and, finally, themotor iscomparatively inexpensive, as costly floats or docks orbulk-heads are not required.

Having thus described my in vention,what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is V N 1. The combination, in a current-motor,of a frame fixed to the bank of a stream and projecting over the water,a current-wheel comprising a casing suspended from said frame and abladed shaft fitted" for rotation in said casing, and flexibleconnections between the frame and easing, substantially as shown anddescribed, whereby the wheel may be adjusted bodily in a lateralcurvilinear direction, as set forth. Y

2. The combination, in a current-motor, of a frame fixed to the bank ofa stream and projected over the water, a current-wheel comprising acasing suspended by a windlass from said frame and a bladed shaft fittedfor rotation in said casing, cord or chain connections from thecurrent-wheel to a windlass'arranged on the frame behind thewheel-suspending Windlass, a driving'sha t' on the frame, and

pulley-and-belt connections from the current- Wheel to saiddriving-shaft, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

3. In a current-motor, the current-wheel constructed-with a casing K, abladed shaft, I

J, fitted for rotation therein, and a skeleton head, N, and drivingwheelR, fitted to the bladed shaft for rotation at opposite ends of thecasing, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

4. In a current-motor, the combinatiomwith the casing K and a bladedwheel, I J, fitted for rotation therein, of a skeleton head, N, on theupstream end of the wheel and working against the casing, a drive-wheel,R, fixed to the downstream end of the casing and adapted to receive adriving-belt, and anti-friction rollers S, fitted to the casing andforming bear ings for the driving-wheel, substantially as described, forthe purposes setforth.

, MICHAEL MOOAR'IY.

Vitnesses:

CHARLES F. REPATH, NATHANIEL YOUNG.

